Unless I'm mistaken, UAB will be playing for a spot in the conference championship game. The current CUSA West standings are:

UTSA: 5-2 (0.714 - idle this week)
La Tech: 4-2 (0.667 - plays out of conference TCU)
UAB: 2-1 (0.667 - plays Rice this week)

Thus, if UAB beats Rice, they will leap into first place with a 0.75 win percentage. I believe that the team with the best win percentage goes to the championship game regardless of number of games played.

So, for the second week in a row, Rice can prevent their opponent from clinching a spot in the conference championship game. In this case, they can eliminate UAB from the game.

(Please - no need to rehash what coulda been for Rice.)

ESPN is giving the Owls only a 30.3% chance of winning vs. UAB, with the Owls as 9.0 point underdogs in their spread consensus pick. Ouch! I would have thought the Owls would have gotten a little more love this week from ESPN. Let's hope ESPN is wrong...again.

In any event, the Owls need to show the Marshall game was not a fluke. If the Owls lay an egg, all the good press coming out of the Marshall game will be history.

(12-07-2020 01:45 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  ESPN is giving the Owls only a 30.3% chance of winning vs. UAB, with the Owls as 9.0 point underdogs in their spread consensus pick. Ouch! I would have thought the Owls would have gotten a little more love this week from ESPN. Let's hope ESPN is wrong...again.

In any event, the Owls need to show the Marshall game was not a fluke. If the Owls lay an egg, all the good press coming out of the Marshall game will be history.

The offense needs to step up to provide some support for the defense.

(12-07-2020 02:12 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 01:45 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  ESPN is giving the Owls only a 30.3% chance of winning vs. UAB, with the Owls as 9.0 point underdogs in their spread consensus pick. Ouch! I would have thought the Owls would have gotten a little more love this week from ESPN. Let's hope ESPN is wrong...again.

In any event, the Owls need to show the Marshall game was not a fluke. If the Owls lay an egg, all the good press coming out of the Marshall game will be history.

The offense needs to step up to provide some support for the defense.

Indeed!

(12-07-2020 01:45 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  ESPN is giving the Owls only a 30.3% chance of winning vs. UAB, with the Owls as 9.0 point underdogs in their spread consensus pick. Ouch! I would have thought the Owls would have gotten a little more love this week from ESPN. Let's hope ESPN is wrong...again.

Those numbers would have been much worse had we lost as expected to Marshall. So we did get credit, just not as much as we would like.

Plus, one such game is just an outlier - we need to do it again to get any real credit.

(12-07-2020 03:07 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 02:12 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 01:45 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  ESPN is giving the Owls only a 30.3% chance of winning vs. UAB, with the Owls as 9.0 point underdogs in their spread consensus pick. Ouch! I would have thought the Owls would have gotten a little more love this week from ESPN. Let's hope ESPN is wrong...again.

In any event, the Owls need to show the Marshall game was not a fluke. If the Owls lay an egg, all the good press coming out of the Marshall game will be history.

The offense needs to step up to provide some support for the defense.

Indeed!

In the sense of scoring more points, yes.

But they did support the defense in other ways. Drives that ended up in 3 FG attempts and a touchback may have only put 6 points on the board, but they still helped the defense by taking time off the clock, and letting the D rest. Let those drives end in TDs and we will have all the support we want.

Just received an e-mail from the Ticket Office....season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the game...some concessions open...no tailgating...good news.

(12-07-2020 03:26 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  Just received an e-mail from the Ticket Office....season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the game...some concessions open...no tailgating...good news.

I must say I'm surprised.

Now, do I want to make the 3.5 hr drive???

(12-07-2020 03:42 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 03:26 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  Just received an e-mail from the Ticket Office....season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the game...some concessions open...no tailgating...good news.

I must say I'm surprised.

Now, do I want to make the 3.5 hr drive???

I won't make the 28-hour drive ... but I'll be watching online. :-)

(12-07-2020 03:50 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 03:42 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 03:26 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  Just received an e-mail from the Ticket Office....season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the game...some concessions open...no tailgating...good news.

I must say I'm surprised.

Now, do I want to make the 3.5 hr drive???

I won't make the 28-hour drive ... but I'll be watching online. :-)

Same here.

My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

(12-07-2020 07:33 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

You do realize that is because UTEP failed to have the team take tests on Friday, before leaving campus, as was required by conference COVID rules. Consequently, they were forced to take tests on Saturday morning, just before game time.

(12-07-2020 08:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 07:33 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

You do realize that is because UTEP failed to have the team take tests on Friday, before leaving campus, as was required by conference COVID rules. Consequently, they were forced to take tests on Saturday morning, just before game time.

Rice requested they take them upon arrival. We were the ones who decided to go against conference norms.

(12-07-2020 03:26 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  Just received an e-mail from the Ticket Office....season ticket holders will be allowed to attend the game...some concessions open...no tailgating...good news.

I’m extremely happy we’re finally allowing fans. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to sit outside in an empty stadium.

But to show how stupid our administration is they’re relaxing COVID rules for the first time when the pandemic is at a peak in the US. Just shows there is 0 logic or reason behind these decisions.

(12-07-2020 08:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 07:33 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

You do realize that is because UTEP failed to have the team take tests on Friday, before leaving campus, as was required by conference COVID rules. Consequently, they were forced to take tests on Saturday morning, just before game time.

Walt I guess you don’t realize that is not what happened.

UTEP took their 3rd PCR test of the week (protocol) upon arrival in Houston on Friday. Based on 1 positive test, Rice requested and UTEP agreed to a 4th test, the unreliable rapid test, Saturday morning a few hours before game time, that returned 10 positives, all of which were later found to be false positives upon retest using the PCR test.

This one was on Rice, not UTEP, as you imply. If Rice didn’t learn a lesson about using unreliable rapid tests, this scenario could easily repeat itself this week.

The details are laid out in this article.

https://www.ktsm.com/sports/college-spor...ball-team/

Unless of course you are saying the detailed media report is wrong. and the UTEP officials are not being truthful?

We have to win this game to get a bowl invitation. CUSA only has five tie-ins right now. I think a 2-3 team will be left out.

(12-07-2020 09:56 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 08:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 07:33 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

You do realize that is because UTEP failed to have the team take tests on Friday, before leaving campus, as was required by conference COVID rules. Consequently, they were forced to take tests on Saturday morning, just before game time.

Walt I guess you don’t realize that is not what happened.

UTEP took their 3rd PCR test of the week (protocol) upon arrival in Houston on Friday. Based on 1 positive test, Rice requested and UTEP agreed to a 4th test, the unreliable rapid test, Saturday morning a few hours before game time, that returned 10 positives, all of which were later found to be false positives upon retest using the PCR test.

This one was on Rice, not UTEP, as you imply. If Rice didn’t learn a lesson about using unreliable rapid tests, this scenario could easily repeat itself this week.

The details are laid out in this article.

https://www.ktsm.com/sports/college-spor...ball-team/

Unless of course you are saying the detailed media report is wrong. and the UTEP officials are not being truthful?

Yeah, Walt is off on the orders. He's correct on the issue, which is that the typical timing for testing was thrown off due to Thanksgiving. I believe that the normal testing protocol would not have resulted in such a fast turn on Saturday - perhaps that if why Rice did the antigen test?

It should also be noted that the player who initially tested positive was not part of the group retested with the antigen test. I initially thought they were part of the 10 antigen positives that were found to be negative later.

They're allowing regular fans into the game this weekend. You've got to put down a $50 deposit for 2021 season tickets and also pay for the $30 UAB ticket. Call the ticket office! Ask for Andrew.

(12-08-2020 04:05 PM)Ourland Wrote:  They're allowing regular fans into the game this weekend. You've got to put down a $50 deposit for 2021 season tickets and also pay for the $30 UAB ticket. Call the ticket office! Ask for Andrew.

Anyone plunking down $80 to see this game in person is more than a “regular” fan. But glad to see this option.

(12-08-2020 08:28 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 09:56 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 08:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(12-07-2020 07:33 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  My wife pointed out Rice canceled the UTEP home game just a short time before kickoff. If that scenario reoccurred for the UAB game, I would be well on my way to the game only to learn it had been canceled upon arrival. Something to think about in making the decision to make the trip.

You do realize that is because UTEP failed to have the team take tests on Friday, before leaving campus, as was required by conference COVID rules. Consequently, they were forced to take tests on Saturday morning, just before game time.

Walt I guess you don’t realize that is not what happened.

UTEP took their 3rd PCR test of the week (protocol) upon arrival in Houston on Friday. Based on 1 positive test, Rice requested and UTEP agreed to a 4th test, the unreliable rapid test, Saturday morning a few hours before game time, that returned 10 positives, all of which were later found to be false positives upon retest using the PCR test.

This one was on Rice, not UTEP, as you imply. If Rice didn’t learn a lesson about using unreliable rapid tests, this scenario could easily repeat itself this week.

The details are laid out in this article.

https://www.ktsm.com/sports/college-spor...ball-team/

Unless of course you are saying the detailed media report is wrong. and the UTEP officials are not being truthful?

Yeah, Walt is off on the orders. He's correct on the issue, which is that the typical timing for testing was thrown off due to Thanksgiving. I believe that the normal testing protocol would not have resulted in such a fast turn on Saturday - perhaps that if why Rice did the antigen test?

It should also be noted that the player who initially tested positive was not part of the group retested with the antigen test. I initially thought they were part of the 10 antigen positives that were found to be negative later.

I have no clue what point you are trying to make.

CUSA requires 3 PCR tests per week. UTEP and Rice agreed, in October, the 3rd test would be administered when the UTEP contingent arrived in Houston due to the Thursday holiday and UTEP’s early flight time on Friday morning. One player returned a positive result.

Rather than simply withholding that one player and anyone judged to have had contact of concern and proceeding with the game, Rice requested and UTEP agreed, not sure why other than Rice “twisted their arm”, to retest everyone with the unreliable rapid test a few hours before game time, which returned 10 positives, later proved to be false.

I don’t see how Walt’s original post was anywhere close to correct on the issues of importance. I will agree that Thanksgiving was Thursday and UTEP didn’t take their 3rd test before flying Friday morning. That doesn’t change the facts that UTEP did take the required 3rd test on Friday upon arrival as agreed by both parties a month earlier, and Rice insisted on a 4th test (not required by CUSA) using the unreliable rapid test.

This one is on Rice.